Vintage RELPO T838 Cold-painted "Santa and His Pack" Candy Dish |Vase | Planter

Relpo figures were especially popular in the 1950s, particularly for their lady head vases, but I think Santa Claus is much cuter! This Santa figure is in excellent condition except for a tiny bit of paint loss where his shoulder meets his pack (see photos). If you are a collector of mid-century ceramics, you know that "cold-painted" means you can't clean these items with a scrubbing tool, or heaven forbid, put them in the dishwasher, or you'll have pure white pottery items! Relpo (an importer based out of Chicago) imported two versions of this Santa vase (Model T838) in the 1950s. One, from Japan, carried a candy cane, and the other, from Taiwan, carried a wrapped package. Obviously, this is the version imported from Taiwan. The Taiwan Santa is a little less common than the candy-cane Santa imported from Japan. Santa's pack can be used as a planter, a vase, or a candy dish. Both the incised Relpo mark and the silver Relpo (Chicago) sticker are intact. Measures 6 1/4 inches tall and 4 1/4 inches wide. Perfect for your midcentury holiday decor!